#CatLoversContest
This was during Covid lockdown in 2020, when we spotted a little ginger kitten under our car. It had perhaps strayed from it’s litter, it was screaming away, terribly weak and dehydrated. Spouse and I couldn’t ignore it’s feeble plea for help, we fed the little one with some milk and bread. A small carton near the watchman’s cabin served as it’s shelter.
Little did we know that some residents could raise objections to this little furball being taken care of. There were messages on the society WhatsApp group about a certain stray animal causing a nuisance, and dirtying the premises. I couldn’t help but wonder, between the kitten and us, who really was the weaker species?
But matters got out of hand when one morning I spotted the sweeper dragging something along the society gates. A closer look, I knew it was the kitten with a noose around its neck. In the spur of the moment, I ran downstairs in my night suit, and flip-flops.
What ensued was me snatching the half-dead kitten from the man and screaming at him, warning him of dire consequences. Other residents were watching from their balconies, but I couldn’t calm down. When I threatened with police and social media, he gave in and confessed that the secretary had paid him to get rid of the kitten.
I gave the residents a piece of my mind over texts, but it was that day in June, three years ago when I brought Shomu, our little bundle of joy home. For good. Because I knew Shomu wasn’t safe outside anymore. He had been dragged on scorching cement in the noon. Thankfully, a few visits to the vet, and Shomu recovered.
One of those nights, while he was healing, Shomu gently climbed up to my pillow, placed his paws on my hand, and slept off with his little head on my arms. When I thought he was fast asleep, I tried moving my arm, but he held on tight and didn’t let go. I stroked his head, I didn’t mind.
It’s been three years, he’s now a full-grown tom cat. And Shomu has a lady friend at home, another rescue kitten.
But once the lights are out, Shomu often snuggles up to me, purring, his head on my arms. And for me, that’s the best part of my otherwise stressful day, I await his cuddle. Every night.